News

Adopt a Campsite for Camryn

No mother wants to hear their child screaming in
absolute pain.

Camryn and her family arrived at a camp site on the idyllic
North Stradbroke Island. The campsite was finally set up and it was time to sit
and relax. But little 2-year old Camyrn wandered onto a campfire that had been
covered with sand. It was a scream that will haunt her parents forever. Mum
rushed her into the surf so the water would relieve the burn and then called
for help to get her to the hospital.

(Burns first aid is to place the burned site under the cold
water tap for 20 minutes – and the surf is great in an emergency.)

Campfires left to burn out or ‘put out’ with dirt or sand
are a hidden danger for children over holiday breaks, Kidsafe Queensland warns.

“Contrary to popular belief, dirt or sand will not
extinguish a campfire,” Kidsafe chief executive officer Susan Teerds said. “The
coals will remain hot enough to cause horrendous burns for many hours, even
days. Every year, children are permanently scarred, simply because they choose
to play in the wrong pile of sand.

“And don’t let your fire burn overnight. The only safe way
to extinguish a fire is with a bucket of water.”

Today at 10am, Susan Teerds the CEO Kidsafe
Queensland Inc, the Minister for Police and Community Safety the Hon Jack
Dempsey, the Minister for National Parks the Hon Steve Dickson, and parents of Camryn - Russell and Nicole, teamed
up with the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services to graphically demonstrate the
temperatures that campfires reach, even after many hours, and that there is
only one safe way to put out a campfire – with water.

The Hon Steve Dickson announced that hundreds of signs instructing to put a campfire out with water will be erected in National Parks throughout Queensland.

In the demonstration – at the Raby Bay foreshore – campfires
were lit, then ‘extinguished’ by covering one with sand and dousing the
other with water.

Thermal probes showed that campfires reached over 800
degrees C. Covered with sand a campfire will still measure more than 500
degrees C on the surface. Hours later the coals revealed can still be hotter
than 200 degrees C.

A fire extinguished with a bucket of water will decrease the
temperature to 24 degrees C within minutes. After less than 10 minutes,
Queensland Fire and Rescue officer Inspector David Sutch touched the coals with
his hand (although this is not recommended!), demonstrating that it is
essential to put a campfire out with water – rendering it safe for a
toddler or anyone in the vicinity.

A campfire covered by dirt or sand, or left to burn out, is
hot enough to cause severe burns in less than a second, even several hours
later.

“Kidsafe
Queensland would like to thank the Queensland Government for getting behind
this campaign to alert people of the dangers of ‘extinguishing’ a campfire by
covering it with sand.” Susan Teerds said.

“Hopefully people will realise how easy it is for others –
especially children - to suffer incredible burns while in or around a camping
area, simply because they want to play with dirt or in the sand and just
stumble into the fire.

“On average each year, Brisbane’s Royal Children’s Hospital
treats 40 children for burns from outdoor fires, and all but a handful of these
injuries were caused by glowing coals rather than flames. The annual number of
these burns victims is increasing, and there are many whose injuries are caused
by campfire coals still burning beneath a shallow layer of dirt or sand,
particularly around the peak Easter camping period.

“More than half of these children are under five, and more
than 80 percent are under nine, with twice as many boys as girls suffering
burns.”

Mrs Teerds urged all campers to take a bucket and use water
to extinguish their campfires.

“Many cultures use glowing coals
covered in sand or dirt to prepare traditional feasts, so the value or dirt or
sand as a campfire extinguisher is obviously nil. In fact, coals can be as hot
as 500 degrees Celsius and cause immediate third degree burns on contact. Even
a child walking across a campsite can stand on a covered campfire and suffer
dangerous burns.

“These
children will require emergency surgery and skin grafts. They are often
permanently scarred and will need expensive
ongoing medical treatment as they grow.

”Water – is the only reliable
extinguisher for campfires.”

Adopt your favourite Campsite for Camryn and buy a sign. Helps stop these unnecessary and very serious burns.